Betaglobin is a polypeptide subunit of hemoglobin A, the principal hemoglobin in adult humans. Hemoglobin A is the principal oxygen carrier in blood. Hemoglobin A is made up of four subunits, two alphaglobin chains and two betaglobin chains. Several diseases are characterized by the production of abnormal betaglobin and impaired hemoglobin S, as in sickle-cell anemia, or from the production of no or deficient amounts of betaglobin and hemoglobin A, as in beta-thalassemia. These diseases have long been recognized to arise from genetic defects, such as a single mutation in the betaglobin gene in sickle-cell anemia.
There is no pharmaceutical composition or method in use for the effective treatment of betaglobin disorders.